Plan sets out a vision for Shepway

A future in which everyone in Shepway shares successes and plays a part in creating a thriving community is the vision of a plan published on Tuesday (20 March).

Sharing in Success - A Community Plan for Shepway has been produced by the Shepway Community Partnership, an umbrella group that brings together organisations that have a role to play in shaping the district's future.

It sets out a long-term vision for the district and provides the overall direction for the future plans of all partners involved in delivering services - from tackling crime and improving health to building skills and improving the appearance of the district.

A set of actions based on the themes of self assurance and reassurance, being well and staying well, building skills for better prospects and shaping a brighter Shepway show how members of the Shepway Community Partnership will work together to tackle local concerns and deliver wide-ranging improvements. Kent County Council, the Eastern and Coastal Kent Primary Care Trust, Shepway District Council and Kent Police are among those responsible for ensuring results.

Its findings and proposed actions are based on the concerns local people raised during a range of consultation.

Colin Tomson, who headed the Shepway Community Partnership when the plan was being prepared, said it was clear that many concerns were common to everyone - regardless of where they lived, their age or how rich they were.

"However, people in the most disadvantaged areas are the least satisfied with their surroundings. This is true for their sense of safety and peace of mind; their housing conditions, their perception of public services and their sense of alienation from decisions which affect them directly."

He said the partnership's vision was to make sure everyone had an equal share in the district's increasingly bright prospects.

"Shepway stands on the threshold of a bright economic future. There are a lot of good things happening. But we must make sure that everyone has an equal chance to benefit and that people are not left behind because of where they live, low skills, dependency or rural isolation. Unless everyone has the opportunity to share in the benefits, Shepway will not achieve its full potential."

Debbie Doe, Chairman of the Shepway Community Partnership, said: "It is a great thrill to be leading the Partnership at such an exciting time, with the prospect of real benefits for the community flowing from the partners' hard work and constructive approach so far. It will be my task to make sure that the imaginative ideas in the Community Plan are carried through into actions that make a big difference in local neighbourhoods and in people's lives. I'm looking forward to the next phase with relish."

Alistair Stewart, Chief Executive of Shepway District Council, said many problems could not be tackled by one organisation acting on its own. Solutions relied on linking the resources and efforts of others and working together.

"We know that partnership really works in Shepway. The evidence is all around us; in the striking new developments; the improved services and the renaissance of our local economy. What this Community Plan demonstrates is that Shepway has the potential and the opportunity to take partnership working to a new level of achievement and secure a bright, 21st Century, future for generations to come."

The plan also highlights the role the business community plays in securing a sound economic future.

"We are very encouraged that the plan recognises the importance of the business community," said Philip Carter, Chairman of the Shepway Economic Regeneration Partnership. "One of our key roles is to ensure that local people are given the right skills to take advantage of the exciting job prospects and that local businesses can find the skills to meet their needs here in the district."